$1.6M Settlement Proposed For Milwaukee Company After Waste Violations

MILWAUKEE, WI — Years after a barrel company with facilities in Oak Creek and St. Francis was hit with violations of air and hazardous waste laws, a settlement has been proposed, the Wisconsin Department of Justice announced.

The settlement would have Container Life Cycle Management LLC paying $1.65 million to the United States and the State of Wisconsin to resolve violations, the DOJ said. The company would also have to install new technology and monitors for emissions, the news release said.

Part of the company's business is to refurbish steel drums and barrels.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a watchdog report about the company in 2017. The report came when CLCM, doing business as Mid-America Steel Drum, was cited by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration with at least 15 violations, including exposing workers to toxic gases, heat and chemicals. The company also faced emissions violations.

The company had previously operated a facility in Milwaukee alongside its St. Francis and Oak Creek locations, though the Milwaukee location has closed.

Under the proposed settlement, the company must also install monitors to record operations at the drum reclamation furnace in Oak Creek and comply with emission limits for it.

“This resolution sends a clear message that our hazardous waste laws must be followed,” said Attorney General Kaul. “It will also help prevent unlawful air pollution at CLCM’s facilities in Wisconsin in the future.”